Opt Out of Personalised Ads on Android (All Layers)

Most Android users assume that a single toggle switch can stop Google and third-party advertisers from tracking their every move, but the reality is more complex. Because your smartphone operates on multiple layers—your Google account, the Android operating system, and your hardware manufacturer's skin—you must opt out of personalised ads on Android at each level to truly reclaim your privacy. Advertisers build a profile of your interests based on the apps you open, the locations you visit, and even the type of device you carry, using this data to serve highly specific, often intrusive advertisements.

In this guide, I will walk you through the precise steps to disable tracking across Google's My Ad Center, the core Android system settings, and specific manufacturer layers like Samsung One UI and Xiaomi HyperOS. Whether you are running a Pixel on the Android 15 beta or an older device on Android 13, these paths will help you reset your advertising ID and limit data collection. By the end of this article, you will have shifted your device from a data-harvesting tool into a more private workstation that no longer broadcasts your personal habits to the highest bidder.

Google's My Ad Center

The first and most influential layer of ad tracking happens at the account level through Google's My Ad Center. This is a cross-platform repository where Google aggregates your activity from Search, YouTube, and Maps to build a commercial persona. When you opt out here, it applies to any device where you are signed into your Google account, effectively telling Google to stop using your personal demographic data—such as your age, gender, and relationship status—to tailor the ads you see across the web. While this won't reduce the total number of ads you see, it ensures they are based on general factors like time of day or the content of the page you are currently viewing, rather than your long-term browsing history.

To manage these settings on your Android device, the path is consistent across almost all versions from Android 13 through Android 15. 1. Open your device Settings. 2. Tap on Google. 3. Select 'Manage your Google Account'. 4. Navigate to the 'Data & privacy' tab. 5. Scroll down to the 'Personalised ads' section and tap on 'My Ad Center'. 6. At the top of the screen, you will see a toggle for 'Personalised ads'. Switch this to 'Off'. A confirmation dialogue will appear, explaining that you will still see ads, but they will be less relevant to your specific interests. Tap 'Turn off' to confirm.

It is worth noting that Google recently introduced granular controls within My Ad Center that allow you to "limit" specific sensitive topics, such as alcohol, gambling, or weight loss. If you choose not to turn off personalisation entirely, you can instead use this menu to strip away the most intrusive categories. However, for maximum privacy, a total opt-out is the recommended route. On newer Android 14 and 15 builds, this menu loads significantly faster than on older versions, but the options remain identical regardless of whether you are using a Pixel or a high-end Samsung Galaxy device.

Android system opt-out

While the Google Account settings handle the cloud side of the equation, the Android system itself uses a local identifier called the Advertising ID. This is a unique string of characters that apps installed on your phone use to track your behaviour and share that data with ad networks. In older versions of Android, you could only reset this ID. However, starting with Android 12 and continuing through Android 14 and 15, Google allows you to delete the advertising ID entirely. Once deleted, any app attempting to access it will see a string of zeros, effectively breaking the link between your app usage and your marketing profile.

The path to disable this on a Pixel or "stock" Android device is straightforward: 1. Go to Settings. 2. Tap on 'Security & privacy'. 3. Tap on 'Privacy' and then 'Ads'. 4. Here, you will see two primary options: 'Reset advertising ID' and 'Delete advertising ID'. 5. Select 'Delete advertising ID' and confirm on the next screen. If you are on a Samsung device running One UI 6, the path is slightly different: 1. Settings. 2. Security and privacy. 3. More privacy settings. 4. Ads. 5. Delete advertising ID. By deleting the ID rather than just resetting it, you prevent new apps from starting a fresh tracking profile from scratch.

Another critical system-level setting introduced in Android 13 is the 'Privacy Sandbox'. This is Google's long-term replacement for third-party cookies and advertising IDs, designed to be more "privacy-preserving" while still allowing for targeted ads. Even if you have deleted your Advertising ID, you should check the Privacy Sandbox settings. 1. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Ads > Privacy Sandbox. 2. Toggle 'Ad topics' and 'App-suggested ads' to 'Off'. This prevents the Android OS from locally categorising your interests based on the apps you use and sharing those categories with developers. On Android 15, this section is even more prominent, reflecting Google's push to move all users toward this new framework.

Samsung's Customization Service

If you use a Samsung Galaxy device, you are subject to an additional layer of tracking known as the Customization Service. This service is separate from Google and is used by Samsung to provide "personalised experiences" across their ecosystem, including the Galaxy Store, Samsung Health, and Bixby. This service gathers your call and message history, search data, and even location data to serve you targeted marketing notifications and ads within the One UI interface. Opting out of Google's tracking does not automatically opt you out of Samsung's proprietary data collection.

To disable this on One UI 6 (Android 14) or the upcoming One UI 7, follow these steps: 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap on your name/Samsung Account at the very top. 3. Scroll down and select 'Security and privacy'. 4. Tap on 'Customization Service'. 5. Switch off the main 'Customise this phone' toggle. 6. Additionally, tap on 'Data management' within this menu to see exactly what Samsung is currently collecting (e.g., location, messages, search terms) and toggle those off individually or request the deletion of data already collected. Samsung often prompts you to re-enable these during system updates, so it is a good idea to check this menu after every major OS upgrade.

Furthermore, Samsung includes a specific "Privacy" section in its Galaxy Store settings that many users overlook. 1. Open the Galaxy Store. 2. Tap the 'Menu' (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right. 3. Tap the 'Settings' cog icon at the top. 4. Toggle off 'Get news and special offers'. This stops Samsung from sending marketing "push notifications" that function as tiny, disruptive ads on your home screen. While Samsung's hardware is excellent, its software layer is notoriously "chatty" regarding data collection, and these steps are essential for a truly private Galaxy experience.

Per-app ad personalization

Even after you have secured the OS and your Google Account, individual apps may still track you using their own internal identifiers or by using the information you provided when you signed up for an account. Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are the biggest culprits, as they use "first-party" data that they collect directly within their own ecosystems. These apps do not necessarily need the Android Advertising ID to know who you are; they know you by your login credentials. Therefore, you must dive into the settings of your most-used apps to complete the opt-out process.

For most major apps, the process involves finding the "Privacy" or "Ad Preferences" section within their internal settings menu. In the Meta ecosystem (Facebook/Instagram), you should: 1. Open the app. 2. Go to Settings & Privacy. 3. Tap Accounts Center. 4. Tap 'Ad preferences' and then 'Ad settings'. 5. Set 'Ads shown off Facebook' and 'Data from partners' to 'Not allowed'. This prevents Meta from using your outside browsing habits to target you within their apps. For other apps, a useful trick is to use the Android 'Permission manager' to cut off access to sensors that aid in tracking. 1. Settings. 2. Security & privacy. 3. Privacy. 4. Permission manager. 5. Check which apps have access to 'Location' and 'Nearby devices' and revoke access for any app that doesn't strictly need it to function.

Android 14 and 15 have made it easier to see which apps are sharing your data with third parties. When an app changes its data-sharing practices, Android now sends you a notification summaries. Pay close attention to these. If an app you've used for years suddenly starts sharing "location data for advertising purposes," you should immediately revisit its permissions. Using the 'App hibernating' feature for apps you rarely use is also a great way to ensure they aren't running background processes that collect data when the app isn't even open.

Xiaomi MSA and GetApps

Xiaomi's HyperOS (the successor to MIUI) is famous—or infamous—for including ads directly in the system apps, such as the File Manager, Themes, and Security app. These ads are powered by a system component called "msa" (MIUI System Ads). Unlike the Pixel or Samsung, Xiaomi requires a very specific set of steps to revoke the authorisation for these ad services, as the toggles are hidden deep within the system settings and are often labeled in a way that suggests they are necessary for the phone to function.

To disable these on a Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO device running HyperOS or MIUI 14: 1. Go to Settings. 2. Tap 'Fingerprints, face data, and screen lock' (or 'Passwords & security' on some trims). 3. Select 'Authorisation & revocation'. 4. Find 'msa' in the list and toggle it off. You will have to wait for a 10-second countdown before you can tap 'Revoke'. 5. Find 'GetApps' in the same list and revoke its authorisation as well. This significantly reduces the amount of system-level data being sent back to Xiaomi's ad servers. Next, go to Settings > Privacy > Ad services and turn off 'Personalised ad recommendations'.

Finally, you must manually disable ads in the individual system apps. For example, in the 'Security' app: 1. Open the app. 2. Tap the settings cog. 3. Toggle off 'Receive recommendations'. In the 'File Manager': 1. Open the app. 2. Tap the menu icon. 3. Tap 'About'. 4. Toggle off 'Recommendations'. This repetitive process is necessary because Xiaomi treats each system app as an independent ad-delivery platform. While HyperOS has made the interface cleaner, the underlying ad-driven business model remains, making these manual opt-outs mandatory for anyone concerned with privacy on a Xiaomi device.

Verifying opt-out actually applies

After going through these layers, it is important to verify that your changes have actually taken effect. The most immediate way to check the Android system level is to return to the 'Ads' menu (Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Ads). If the 'Delete advertising ID' option is greyed out or says 'Advertising ID deleted', you have successfully severed that link. However, remember that "opting out" does not mean "blocking." You will still see ads; they will simply be generic. To see fewer ads overall, you might consider using a Private DNS provider that filters ad-related traffic at the network level.

To set up a Private DNS on Android 13, 14, or 15: 1. Go to Settings. 2. Tap 'Network & internet'. 3. Tap 'Private DNS'. 4. Select 'Private DNS provider hostname'. 5. Enter a service address like "dns.adguard.com" and tap save. This provides an extra layer of protection by blocking the connection requests to known ad servers before the ad can even load on your screen. You can verify this is working by visiting an ad-heavy website in Chrome; if you see empty boxes where ads used to be, your network-level filtering is active.

Privacy is not a one-time toggle but a continuous practice of maintenance. As Android 15 rolls out to more devices, Google is introducing "Private Space," a feature that allows you to hide apps in a separate, encrypted container. This will be another powerful tool for privacy, as apps inside the Private Space can have entirely different permission sets and account logins than your main profile. Keeping your device updated and periodically auditing your 'Permission manager' will ensure that your opt-out status remains intact as manufacturers push new software updates and "service improvements" that seek to re-enable tracking.